Community Interpreter Certificate

Become a qualified interpreter.

Help all voices be heard in our communities. Become a qualified and trained interpreter with an emphasis on social justice and develop skills in simultaneous and consecutive interpretation. Our Community Interpreter Certificate program is ideal for bilingual and multilingual individuals who would like to make a difference in their community and offer valuable cross-cultural communication skills in professional settings, such as school districts, social service agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

Program Overview

In partnership with Just Communities, Antioch University Santa Barbara offers a unique 15-unit Community Interpreter Certificate that can be completed in 9 months. Learn interpretation skills, interpretation and translation business planning, and interpreter self-care. Learn alongside a network of peers in a cohort model. Course content is taught in English and can be applied to interpretation between many languages, such as English-Spanish, English-Mandarin, English-Korean, and much more. This certificate program prepares you to be a trained and qualified interpreter in many professional and social service settings, as well as an introduction to  medical and legal industry-specific certification programs.

Requirements

Completion of the Community Interpreter Certificate requires completion of 15 units over 3 quarters.

2017 Curriculum

Pre-Requisite (offered via Just Communities)

• The Community Interpreter International (3 units) –
  40 hour entry level course for bilingual/multilingual individuals. This interactive, skill based program will teach the foundations of the community interpreter profession and build skill in simultaneous and consecutive interpretation with a focus in educational and social services settings. Program Content:
  Module 1: The Profession
  Module 2: Protocols and Skills
  Module 3: Strategic Mediation
  Module 4: Professional Identity
  Module 5: The Interpreter’s Role

Summer Quarter

• One Room, Many Voices: The Social Justice Interpreter (1 unit) – This course introduces students to interpretation skills with a foundation in principles of equity and inclusion. Topics include ethical issues, standards of practice, language and power and social justice. Students will also explore best practices for working with interpreters and translators and how to plan inclusive and effective multilingual events.
• Introduction to Legal Interpretation (1 unit) – This introductory course to legal interpretation will cover an overview of California’s criminal justice system, criminal and civil proceedings, Standards of Responsibility and Code of Ethics for Court Interpreters in California as well as legal terminology, interpreting skills, modes of interpretation and safety in courts.
• Self-Care for Interpreters (1 unit) – This course identifies and defines existing challenges and concerns that impact the interpreter’s wellness. Students will explore alternative ways (e.g., relaxation exercises) to more effectively regulate emotional and physical responses (e.g., stress) to existing challenges in the interpretation field.

Fall Quarter

• Interpretation in Education Settings (1 unit)
• Consecutive Interpretation (1 unit)
• Simultaneous Interpretation (1 unit)
• Introduction to Translation (1 unit)
• Introduction to Medical Interpretation (1 unit)

Winter Quarter

• Capstone (3 units)
• Practicum (3 units)
• Interpretation/Translation Business Planning (1 unit)